Namibia earned N$374 million from fresh, chilled and frozen beef exports in August.
Beef was Namibia’s eighth-largest exported commodity during the month, accounting for 3% of total exports, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s (NSA) August 2026 International Merchandise Trade Statistics.
The broader category of meat and edible meat offal generated N$434 million in exports, with the NSA saying the food trade surplus was mainly driven by fish and meat exports.
“The surplus on food items was mainly attributed to the export of fish and ‘meat and edible meat offal’, which stood at N$1.3 billion and N$434 million, respectively,” the NSA says.
The latest figures also show that beef export earnings for July were revised upwards by N$333 660.
The strong export performance comes as domestic beef price pressures ease considerably.
Meat inflation fell to 3.3% in September, from 8.1% during the same month last year, with the slowdown largely driven by beef and minced meat.
“Meat recorded an inflation rate of 3.3% in September 2026, compared to 8.1% in the corresponding month of 2025,” the agency says.
It says the slowdown was mainly reflected in beef prices, where inflation fell from 14.1% to 2.6%.
Inflation for minced meat also declined – from 12.3% to 7.0%.
Despite the moderation, the price of beef varies considerably across the country.
NSA data shows that beef stew was most expensive in the northern regions, averaging N$117.24 per kilogramme in September.
The average price was N$111.48 in the southern and coastal regions and N$106.90 in the Khomas region and Windhoek.
Minced meat showed a different pattern, with the Khomas region recording the highest average price at N$120.01 per kilogramme.
This was followed by the southern and coastal regions at N$118.12, while the northern regions recorded the lowest average at N$108.49.
Biltong recorded the widest price difference between the three zones.
A kilogramme averaged N$517.17 in the northern regions, compared with N$490.26 in the Khomas region and N$433.93 in the southern and coastal regions.
This means consumers in the northern regions paid about N$83 more per kilogramme for biltong than those in the southern and coastal regions.
